Leftover Soup and Chicken Scraps
Posted on Wed Jan 20th, 2021 @ 9:04pm by Major Ashley Rogers & Lieutenant Hatham tr'Krotash & Sublieutenant Renee Hernandez
Edited on on Sun Jan 24th, 2021 @ 1:33pm
1,390 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Chapter III: The Hunt is On
Location: Hatham's Quarters, I.R.W. Ourainavassa
Timeline: 238701.22
Ash left the Mess Hall and headed straight to Hatham's quarters, hoping he was still awake. She rang the door chime. "Hey Hatham, wake your ass up, we need to talk," she yelled in fake anger. If anyone overheard they would have thought Ash was about to discipline her subordinate.
Inside Hatham got up from a late night snack and opened the door. The ruse was obvious enough to him that he .
played along. He stood up with an attitude somewhere between attention and menacing. "Talk then."
Ash turned in the signal jammer, "Sorry for disturbing you... but I talked to Renee. She wants to talk to you first. I didn't tell her that I'm working with you. So, if you've vetted Renee and you want to see what she can offer... go to the Mess Hall tomorrow and ask her for 'leftover soup and chicken scraps.'"
Interesting. But if she hadn't told her of him (and given both their prior affiliations, that remained an 'if'), he appreciated being given the option. He had vetted Renee, at least so far as he was able, even going so far as to casually mention the new chef to the Doctor. (Her reaction hadn't been overly positive, but also not on the level of expecting chaos and mass casualties that he recalled from Rogers' arrival). "Leftovers." He glanced toward the large bowl of viinerine on his table. "I suppose that's good cover - no one would be suspicious of me looking for extra food."
"I know you're hesitant, you probably barely wanted to trust me... and you don't even know my ex... much less want to trust her. The option is there... and regardless of anything else, she really does make great food," Ash said, jabbing at Hatham's midsection. "Which, I know you'll appreciate... " she grinned.
Renee was doing the dishes in the kitchen, contemplating her conversation with Ash asking for help and when she had come in with Mila. Ash had always been most comfortable outside of traditional structure and norms and despite her initial misgivings about seeing her ex as a mercenary, Renee couldn't help but realize that this new life might be exactly what Ash needed. She seemed to like this ship and crew, despite her misgivings about Raven's ability to rescue the crew's families. And she seemed to have captured the good graces of Mila... her thoughts were interrupted by the entrance of a large Romulan man. "Take a seat, don't have much right now, haven't gotten deliveries yet," Renee called out.
The mess hall was empty, which was just what Hatham wanted.
It was strange to feel so anxious about approaching a single human woman, but like any good Romulan his response to anxiety was to present a confident exterior. "I don't mind. I will be happy to take 'leftover soup and chicken scraps'."
Renee acknowledged the statement and went to lock the door to the mess hall and she nodded toward the back storage area of the kitchen and headed back there
"This isn't exactly an ideal place to talk but, it's about as secure as you can get without specialized equipment. So... Ash must have sent you..." she extended a hand. "I'm Renee, as I'm sure you already know. Yes, I'm her ex. Yes, I have ties to Section 31. And yes, my father can probably be helpful to you and your cause. Now, before I stick my neck out for you... I'd like to at least know your name. Ash wasn't very forthcoming about who she was helping, but she did give a pretty compelling of why help is needed."
Either Rogers really hadn't told her anything else or she was a very good liar (but since they both had ties to Section 31, he did not yet discount either possibility). She might be willing to help though and the more back up plans they had the better. Still he paused briefly at the proffered hand, not out of distrust, but because shaking hands was not a Romulan thing - in fact touching the hand of a CO's lover, even ex-lover, would be a good way to get in trouble - but it was was a human thing, so he took the hand gripping lightly so as not to hurt her. "I'm Hatham, Rogers' second in security, but I speak for many other Romulans among the crew. Our only goal is to save our families. We signed on based on that, most of us at risk of execution for treason should our plans become known, but we can no longer trust in that agreement. Or wait."
"I understand the conflict between doing what's right and following orders," Renee nodded. "I'm not going to betray you. While you have little reason to believe me, I do want to let you know that I want to help. My father has connections to a lot of people. Good people. With good hearts. They're all chomping at the bits to be able to do something after Picard couldn't get his rescue mission going. You may not trust Starfleet... but I can assure you that I am definitely not Starfleet. How many people are we talking about? We can keep the operation decentralized. No one person knows everything. If anyone is compromised, they won't jeopardize the entire operation. What do you say?"
Hatham found a smile edging onto his face at her understanding of operational security. How had Rogers left someone like this? "We're talking about slightly over 200 people, including some Remans who will also need transport from their world. We've made a start at organizing groups - those families close enough to gather without too much suspicion, as well as back up plans as to how at least the children might slip away even if the others cannot. We will take any help you can offer, especially as you seem to understand the risks involved."
Renee was taken slightly aback at the number, "200, eh? No wonder you needed ships... not like we can take a runabout there under the cover of darkness...." She pondered the options. "We need need diversity in the ships too. It'll look too suspicious if there were a sudden uptick in traffic from one organization. I personally know of at least one Dosadi raider that would jump at the chance to help on this mission. Give me a day or so to reach out to my contacts before I reach out to my father. He's what we've always considered the nuclear option... and I can see why Ash wanted to ask for his help. I think this can work... when do you want to kick off this mission? I do recommend a phased approach if time allows. It'll be less likely to be noticed. But... if you want to do this all at once... we can make it happen. Nothing much to do after the fact when 200+ people disappear one night..."
Dosadi? Hatham's brows lifted at that, but as much as they were old adversaries, they had a greater understanding and attachment to honor than most races. It was strange to think how many ancient enemies were willing to come to their aid when their own leaders would not. "We have perhaps six months before the sun supernovas, but the environmental impacts may become severe well before that. However, the arrangements to leave will be at least a month in the making if we are to do it without drawing attention," he explained. "To that point, a staged withdrawal might be less risky except that I doubt we are the only ones looking to smuggle citizens off of the homeworld. It will be only so long before movement is more heavily locked down."
Seeing Hatham's reaction, "Surprised I have a Dosadi friend? She's actually Ash's friend too. She'll be the first person I reach out to. She knows not to ask questions. So it sounds like we should get moving. 6 months isn't a long time and it's only an estimate. I'll feel a lot better once we have those 200 on board. But I'm sure I don't have to tell you that."
"No. No you do not," Hatham agreed. "If this Dosadi will help, I welcome her. I'll even buy her a round of that weird green whiskey they like."
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